Recent content by CurtUtter

Our church doesn't have any ties before, during or afterwards the divine service to celebrating the easter bunny. We don't even have a "children's sermon" because we treat children the same way as the adults, receiving the faith. We see Jesus Christ giving us his gifts of His Word and His...

A good book to read from a Pastor Michael Horton is "Christless Christianity" or you can listen to White Horse Inn and their entire year of 2008 on the same topic. Rod Rosenbladt is only the Lutheran surrounded by reformed during those sessions. Also The Augsburg Confession and Formula of...

In Matthew 19:20-21, Jesus shows that following the ten commandments are impossible for man. James 2:10 says "For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it." No man, other than Jesus Christ, has fulfilled the law. The law is show man his weakness in...

A good place to look for how we relate to other denominations: Denominations - Frequently Asked Questions - The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod To answer your question, I'd say no.

Reading through a second-time. It is a blessing. I need to finish Veith's other books as well.

Why?: A Layman's Guide to the Liturgy Its been a good help for me. Also the January 2024 Lutheran Witness has a good write-up. I ordered additional copies for our church; for those who wish to ever order additional Lutheran Witness copies, here is the link.

Thanks, I'll try it.

I take it on the tongue and from the chalice. Keeps my focus on Jesus administering the Lord's Supper to me instead of an act that I do. My old adam always wants to to control thing so this is a best method of refusing those wants.

Indeed you are correct we can't understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified without the Holy Spirits work. I just know in our day and age, the gospel can mean many things. I look at what happened to the Galatian's and the adding of circumcision to the gospel. I'm thankful that...

Sadly, you've missed that Jesus is the Word.

In John 6:22-71, Christ lays out for us His eucharist, in which God acts through material reality. I use the law of noncontradiction to state that Jesus being God defeats those saying that He can't be God. And since He is God (John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word...

And for others reading this, who are not of the Lutheran faith, Gene Veith's The Spirituality of the Cross" is a great book. A free sample can be found in this study guide.

The solas are the basis of our Lutheran confessions. We believe in the sufficiency of Christ Jesus through everything. Sea - Have you used the law of noncontradiction below in regards to beliefs of certain aspects of say Baptism, the Lord's Supper, Confession & Absolution? If you have, try...

So beautifully said! It is the mundane divine service that delivers exactly what we need. Always the simple and unspectacular Jesus uses to deliver us from death unto life. Our Christian history has complicated what Jesus said and gives through the Lord's Supper: "take eat, this is my body"...

The simple use of the word "Gospel" can mean many things in today's vocabulary. As I was rereading Sunday's portals of prayer which Rev. Aaron Koch wrote, Sunday March 17 and the beautiful statement "The Gospel thrives precisely in apparent weakness and defeat" made wonder if someone seeing...